Football

Football Visits Curry Saturday

Oct. 28, 2011

NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA-For the fourth and final time this season, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's football team will play on the road this weekend. The Corsairs will visit the traditional New England Football Conference Boyd Division rival Curry. Kickoff at Walter Katz Field is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

The Corsairs come into Saturday's game with a 4-4 record, are 3-2 in the Boyd Division and are coming off a 27-14 loss at Endicott last Saturday. Curry, which won at Nichols last Saturday, 31-20, is 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the NEFC's Boyd Division.

The Colonels are a perennial NEFC power, and are always one of the most talented teams in the league. "Curry is a very good football, it seems that they are our team's main rival," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Mark Robichaud. "We are very excited to play Curry. We have a lot riding on the game, being 3-2 in the division right now. We can secure a winning record in the division with a win, so it's a big game for us."

The Colonels have beaten the Corsairs six times in a row since an 18-13 UMD victory at Cressy Field September 25, 2004. "Our seniors have never beaten Curry, we haven't beaten them since I've been here, so we should have some great motivation," said Robichaud.

While Curry has not been at the top of the division standings this season, they are still formidable. "They may not be as dominant as they have been in recent years, but they are very well-coached and are confident," said Robichaud. They want to have a winning record in the division and a winning record for the year. Record-wise and statistically, we're very similar."

The Colonels are strong offensively. "Their quarterback had the best game of his career against Nichols, and they used several different running backs, each with different strengths," said Robichaud. "We have to prepare for their inside running game, their passing attack, and the different personnel they throw at you. They run a traditional offense, and they blitz quite a bit on defense, so we have to make sure we have all their blitzes picked up."

The Corsair defense must continue to perform well. "Our defense has had a great year," said Robichaud. "We played well at Endicott last week against the fifth ranked offense in the nation. We are playing well, led by (senior linebacker) John Cordasco (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls HS) (sophomore linebacker) Joe Teixera (Seekonk, MA/Seekonk HS), both of whom are having incredible years, and (junior defensive back) Darrien Furr (East Taunton, MA/Taunton HS), who had two great pass break-ups last week."

As always, mistakes must be kept to a minimum. "We hurt ourselves last week with too many penalties and a fumble at midfield," said Robichaud. "When you play good teams, you can't turn the ball over and you can't make mistakes. We're getting better at that, but we still have some work to do."
UMass Dartmouth will return home for their final regular season game against Western New England on Senior Day next Saturday.